Titusville police carrying hand-held metal detectors will begin screening residents and visitors for guns and other weapons before entering any city council meetings, authorities reported.

“It started last night and will be continuous,” said Amy Matthews, spokeswoman for the Titusville Police Department. “It’s just a proactive measure. The safety of everyone in our community is the highest priority. We’re just being vigilant,” Matthews added.

Police said that there was no specific threat or incident that moved the screenings policy – actually based on a state statute already on the books – into being put into place. Similar searches are done at all Brevard County courthouses.

“There was no incident, however, we are beginning to step up the security measures in our public venues to be consistent with precautions that are being put in place across the country,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey King of the Titusville Police Department in an email sent in response to a FLORIDA TODAY inquiry.

The new policy came the same day as dramatic video of a Sacramento, California city council meeting was usurped by the brother of an unarmed black man shot and killed by police officers.

The man walked into the council chambers, sat on the dais, shouted down the mayor and used the outburst to condemn city policies. Other incidents have also taken place during government meetings across the nation, moving some agencies to step up security measures.

In 2008, a 52-year-old described by authorities as a ‘gadfly’ walked into a city council chambers and shot five people to death before being killed himself by an officer.

The Florida statute forbids anyone – including those with a concealed weapons permit – from entering any meeting of a governing body of a municipality. In Palm Bay, the county’s largest municipality does not search do any similar searches of those entering its city council chamber. In Melbourne, there is a walk-through metal detector that residents walk through before entering the city council meeting room.

Matthews said that Titusville police already has officers posted at council meetings as standard practice.

“This is just another resource,” she said.

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com and Twitter at @JDGALLOP